Original German WWII M42 Single Decal Army Heer Helmet with 54cm Liner & Partial Chinstrap – stamped EF62 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition all original example of a late war German Model 42 Steel helmet, with some great period wear. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 90% of its original lightly textured paint, with some light wear and oxidation from service. There is some scuffing and wear, but nothing out of line with moderate use in service. The interior paint is in very good condition, showing just a bit of wear and paint loss around the inner rim. The left side of the helmet features a Heer eagle decal, which is retained about 90%, with light overall wear and a lovely color from a bit of yellowing to the enamel top coat. The helmet overall has the fantastic patina that only real wear in the field can give.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped 2340, and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size, E.F.62 indicating that indicating it was manufactured by Emaillierwerke AG, of Fulda Germany in size 62. This is a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 54cm to 55cm or US 6 3/4 to 6 7/8.

All three of the original liner retaining pins are intact, and the front two have almost all of their original paint, while the rear pin has lost about 20%. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner, with all eight of the original fingers intact, and still retains the top tie string. The leather is still soft and supple, with a lovely light brown color, showing a bit of staining and flaking around the edge, and is marked with the size 54 on one of the fingers. The galvanized steel liner band is marked 62 n.A / 54, indicating a size 54 liner for a 62 shell. We can see a partial Werner Zahn maker mark on the other side, but the date is not legible.

The chin strap is partly intact, with the buckle end complete, and the longer side missing most of it’s length, with a small piece still attached to the buckle. The buckle is early war aluminum, while one of the studs is also aluminum, while the other is steel, so it may have been replaced during the war.

Overall a very nice late-war M42 Single Decal Heer Army helmet, completely correct with a great lightly worn look! M42 helmets of this quality are always the hardest to find on the market. This is an item that will only continue to appreciate in value over time.

The first “modern” steel helmets were introduced by the French army in early 1915 and were shortly followed by the British army later that year. With plans on the drawing board, experimental helmets in the field, (“Gaede” helmet), and some captured French and British helmets the German army began tests for their own steel helmet at the Kummersdorf Proving Grounds in November, and in the field in December 1915. An acceptable pattern was developed and approved and production began at Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz, (Iron and Foundry Works), in the spring of 1916.

These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. The M16 and M18 helmets remained in usage through-out the Weimar Reichswehr, (National Defence Force, Circa 1919-1933), era and on into the early years of the Third Reich until the development of the smaller, lighter M35 style helmet in June 1935.

In 1934 tests began on an improved Stahlhelm, whose design was a development of World War I models. The Eisenhüttenwerke company of Thale carried out prototype design and testing, with Dr. Friedrich Schwerd once again taking a hand.

The new helmet was pressed from sheets of molybdenum steel in several stages. The size of the flared visor and skirt was reduced, and the large projecting lugs for the obsolete armor shield were eliminated. The ventilator holes were retained, but were set in smaller hollow rivets mounted to the helmet’s shell. The edges of the shell were rolled over, creating a smooth edge along the helmet. Finally, a completely new leather suspension, or liner, was incorporated that greatly improved the helmet’s safety, adjustability, and comfort for each wearer. These improvements made the new M1935 helmet lighter, more compact, and more comfortable to wear than the previous designs.

The Army’s Supreme Command officially accepted the new helmet on June 25, 1935 and it was intended to replace all other helmets in service.

The M1935 design was slightly modified in 1940 to simplify its construction, the manufacturing process now incorporating more automated stamping methods. The principal change was to stamp the ventilator hole mounts directly onto the shell, rather than utilizing separate fittings. In other respects, the M1940 helmet was identical to the M1935. The Germans still referred to the M1940 as the M1935, while the M1940 designation were given by collectors.

The last wartime upgrade to the standard helmet took place on 6 July 1942 at the request of the Army High Command. The rolled edge found on M1935 and M1940 helmets was discontinued as a measure of economy. On 1 August 1942 the first M1942 helmets were placed into production, and this was the model produced until late in the war, when most factories were captured or stood idle due to material shortages.